FALL PREVIEW: THURSDAY

THURSDAY OVERVIEW


CBS made the biggest splash on Thursdays by moving the hit comedy The Big Bang Theory from its comfortable Monday slot to launch a new Thursday comedy block. NBC continues with its sitcom lineup that have loyal but small followings. ABC adds a risky new show to its once powerful and still relevant dramas while FOX remains steady. All in all, not too many "big bangs" on Thursday night except for the #1 network.

ABC
8:00 MY GENERATION
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (7th season)
10:00 Private Practice (4th season)  
ABC will once again try to add a new show to lead into two aging dramas. Last season, they failed with FlashForward and The Deep End but both were cancelled. This year, they try the risky My Generation which is a tough sell and has been getting bad reviews. Generation will probably compete with NBC's comedies for third in total viewers and fall to fourth in the 18-49 demo. At 9pm is the aging hit Grey's Anatomy coming off a strong season finale. It will continue to compete against CSI, The Office, and Fringe and will probably continue to get second in total viewers with a chance for first in the demo. Private Practice follows at 10pm and seems to always need Grey's lead-in. It will compete with The Apprentice for second in viewers and the demo.

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (4th season)
8:30 $#*! MY DAD SAYS
9:00 CSI (11th season)
10:00 The Mentalist (3rd season)
CBS made the boldest Thursday move by sending longtime anchor Survivor to Wednesdays and launching a comedy block for the first time in ages on Thursday night. One of TV's hottest comedies, The Big Bang Theory, moves to 8pm and there is much debate about how the show will fare. They pair it will the new William Shatner show $#*! My Dad Says based on a twitter feed. Buzz hasn't been great but it has broad appeal and little competition. Against weak competition, Big Bang should take first in viewers and the demo while $#*! could fall to second behind Bones depending on what viewers think of the show. The long-running CSI follows at 9pm. It is aging and skews old but remains a hit. It will probably continue to win total viewers but could drop to as low as third in the demo, especially in the 9pm half hour. The Mentalist was the strongest 10pm drama last season on any network and remains in its spot where it should easily win in viewers and the demo.

NBC
8:00 Community (2nd season)
8:30 30 Rock (5th season)
9:00 The Office (7th season)
9:30 OUTSOURCED
10:00 The Apprentice (10th edition)

NBC continues its moderately successful comedy block on Thursdays but it has been shaken up a bit as they finally moved 30 Rock out of the 9:30 slot. Community remains at 8pm followed by the relocated 30 Rock, which has been squandering its lead-in for years. Both have loyal but small followings and have new comedy competition to deal with on CBS. They will likely compete for third place in viewers with ABC but should edge it in the demo and that's probably the best case scenario. The Office is by far the most successful sitcom of the block and returns at 9pm for Steve Carell's final season. The Office has slipped a bit in viewers but remains a reliable demo performer. New comedy Outsourced follows at 9:30pm and seems to be another niche show but not as strong as Community or 30 Rock, which aren't that strong to begin with. The Office should be third in viewers and second in the demo but a drop to third or fourth in both categories for Outsourced wouldn't surprise me. NBC originally scheduled the comedy anthology series Love Bites at 10pm but pushed that to midseason and replaced it with a new regular edition of The Apprentice which hasn't aired in awhile thanks to Celebrity Apprentice editions. It should compete with Private Practice for second in viewers and the demo, but will likely be third but still stronger than The Jay Leno Show or The Marriage Ref last season.

FOX
8:00 Bones (6th season)
9:00 Fringe (3rd season)

FOX keeps Thursday night intact this fall with the long-running Bones and the cult favorite Fringe. Bones has been a reliable performer at 8pm and now doesn't have to compete with Survivor anymore. Second in viewers and the demo is likely with a chance for first at 8:30 if $#*! My Dad Says bombs. Fringe has a cult loyal following but it will only probably result in a strong fourth place in both viewers and the demo with a chance to move up to third if Outsourced fails.

New Thursday Show Survival Chances
My Generation (ABC) - Poor, a tough sell and bad buzz will ground this show quickly
$#*! My Dad Says (CBS) - Fair, not great buzz but that hasn't always mattered for CBS
Outsourced (NBC) - Poor, with new comedies and Parks and Recreation waiting in the wings, it won't last long.